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What is Civic Literacy?
The English 147 course provides an article titled "Science Literacy: Information Literacies in the Sciences" where Bernnard et al. describe civic science literacy as "people knowing enough science to relate scientific laws and discoveries to matters of government and legislation" (np).
The English 147 course provides an article titled "Science Literacy: Information Literacies in the Sciences" where Bernnard et al. describe civic science literacy as "people knowing enough science to relate scientific laws and discoveries to matters of government and legislation" (np).
Importance
Civic literacy is essential for a functional democracy. Voters must be informed on divisive topics to promote positive change in society.
Weigh the pros and cons of legislative action and form unadulterated opinions. Civic literacy is using science to be an active and informed citizen; by contacting members of Congress and senators, you can influence societal changes.
"More civically literate citizens:
Are more likely to vote.
Have stronger and more consistent awareness of their own political interests and how to advance them.
Are less likely to be influenced by negative and polarized campaigning.
And are more tolerant of others, leading to more inclusive politics." (Morden 6)
Identifying misinformation and having the knowledge to confirm information promotes positive societal change.
Hans Rosenberg writes in "The twitter pandemic: The critical role of twitter in the dissemination of medical information and misinformation during the COVID-19 Pandemic," "Whether well-intentioned or malicious in nature, the spread of misinformation leads to fear, inappropriate prescribing, less response to warnings on issues such as social-distancing and mistrust in the medical advice due to the plethora of misinformation" (2-3).
The promotion of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin shows how a lack of civic literacy can cause hysteria and lasting effects on society. According to Marion Zych, "With the exponential growth in social media messaging regarding these anecdotal reports, pharmacists across Ontario and across the entire country have reported significant growth in the number of prescriptions being issued for one or a combination of these two products" (np) when in regards to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. "At this time, there is a serious lack of evidence that categorically supports the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin" (np). There has been an increase in prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin despite no evidence showing positive results of the medication. There has been an increase due to misinformation and lack of civic literacy over the internet.
In a system governed by the voters, civic literacy is critical to influence positive change without the sway of misinformation.
Requirements
To become civically literate, citizens must first understand how to efficiently and effectively research scientific topics, analyze reports, and formulate logical conclusions.
As Joe D. Miller’s states in his “Civic Scientific Literacy in the United States in 2016” report for NASA, individuals are unable “to follow and be knowledgeable about the full range of public policy issues”, leading to ‘issue specialization’ where citizens are only familiar with a narrow range of topics (1).). Miller’s comment addresses how people are not capable of detailing and analyzing all scientific elements pertaining to every public policy, so rather than specializing in individual topics, the conceptualization of civic scientific literacy should not be seen as the “mastery of a set of terms, ideas, and concepts”, but as “the acquisition of a set of foundation constructs” to better relate knowledge with a generalization of public political matters (Miller, 242,243).
Understanding of general scientific principles enables citizens to critically assess the information presented to them, resulting in more informed decisions on issues that may impact daily life. Furthermore, citizens must learn how to properly research and analyze scientific material. For starters, learning how to identify proper sources, differentiating between primary and secondary sources, exploring a variety of sources and viewpoints all contribute to developing Informational Literacy Skills. Furthermore, being mindful of biases and keeping a diverse perspective also encourages good research and analysis practice. Combining the use of foundational scientific information, developing literacy skills, and applying good research and analysis practice empowers citizens to engage in a wider range of scientific laws and discoveries promoting positive change.
Rather than memorizing minutia for each new topic, citizens are better served by developing their understanding of foundational scientific concepts and learning how to apply them in tandem with research and literacy skills to derive insightful conclusions.
Example: Fracking
One current issue that requires civic literacy is hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. However, not every citizen is an expert on this topic. So, research must be conducted before forming an opinion. This section intends to provide guidelines for using these skills, specifically to investigate fracking.
First, an unbiased definition of fracking is needed. A simple internet search results in an article from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a government agency (as confirmed by the .gov domain), this is likely a reliable source.
According to the EPA, fracking is the process of injecting water and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, fracturing rock and allowing access to oil and gas. Some of this fluid then flows back to the surface, and "may contain the injected chemicals plus naturally occurring materials such as brines, metals, radionuclides, and hydrocarbons.... In many cases, it is injected underground for disposal" ("The Process of Unconventional Natural Gas Production" np).
Knowing what regulations regarding fracking are already in place is crucial to exercising civic literacy. A search for "fracking legislation" leads to the webpage for Congresswoman Diana DeGette, who is proposing the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2023, or FRAC Act. According to the page, the FRAC act is meant to "close a loophole in Safe Drinking Water Act that prevents EPA from regulating [fracking]." The act will also "require US fracking companies to publicly disclose the chemicals they are using" ("DeGette introduces legislation to regulate chemicals used in fracking process" np).
So, fracking companies are not required to state which chemicals they use, and the process is conncected to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Researching the Safe Drinking Water Act is the next logical step.
Fortunately, the EPA also has a page dedicated to the Safe Drinking Water Act. According to the overview statement, "SDWA authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to set national health-based standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally-occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water" ("Overview of the Safe Drinking Water Act" np).
To summarize, fracking involves the injection of chemicals into the ground that rise back up to the surface. Members of congress are pushing for the process to be regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, which protects against contaminants in drinking water. Therefore, one can assume that fracking has the potential to contaminate drinking water, which could cause harm. One would apply this knowledge by conducting further research and forming their own opinion on what should be done, then participating in the legislative process by voting for policies such as the FRAC Act and lobbying their representatives.
How can students exercise civic literacy?
Contact senators, members of congress, and other elected officials about current issues (see buttons below).
Raise awareness with the intent to take action.
Conclusion
Civic literacy is essential for citizens to effectively contribute to a functional democracy. Therefore, English 147 students should apply the critical analysis and research skills of civic science literacy to both their technical writing and personal lives. Doing so will equip them to become informed, active participants in legislative processes and facilitate positive change.
Work Cited
Bernnard, Deborah, et al. “The Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open, Online Textbook.” Open Textbook Library, open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/190.
Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
“Contacting U.S. Senators.” U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators, 3 Oct. 2023, www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm?Class=1.
“DeGette Introduces Legislation to Regulate Chemicals used in Fracking Process.” Congresswoman Diana DeGette, 20 July 2023,
Find Your Representative, United States House of Representatives, www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Howarth, Robert W., et al. “Should Fracking Stop?” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 14 Sept. 2011, www.nature.com/articles/477271a.
Miller, Jon D. “Civic Scientific Literacy in the United States in 2016.” International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy, University of Michigan, 15 June
2016, smd-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/NASA%20CSL%20in%202016%20Report_0_0.pdf.
---. "The Conceptualization and Measurement of Civic Scientific Literacy for the Twenty-First Century." Science and the Educated American: A Core Component of Liberal Education, edited by Hildebrand, John. G and Jerrold Meinwald, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2010, pp. 241-255.
"Overview of the Safe Drinking Water Act." US EPA, https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/overview-safe-drinking-water-act. Accessed 7 December 2023.
"The Process of Unconventional Natural Gas Production." US EPA, 14 February 2023, https://www.epa.gov/uog/process-unconventional-natural-gas-production. Accessed 5
December 2023.
Morden, Michael. “Investing in Canadians’ Civic Literacy: An Answer to Fake News and Disinformation.” Samara Centre for Democracy, Samatre Centre for Democracy,
13 Jan. 2019, www.samaracentre.ca/articles/investing-in-canadians-civic-literacy.
Rosenberg, Hans, et al. “The Twitter Pandemic: The Critical Role of Twitter in the Dissemination of Medical Information and Misinformation during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge UP, 6 Apr. 2020,
Zych, Marion. "A Joint Message to Ontario’s Doctors, Nurse Practitioners and Pharmacists." RNAO, 23 March. 2020,
https://rnao.ca/news/media-releases/a- joint-message-to-ontarios-doctors-nurse-practitioners-and-pharmacists
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